VGC Metagame Ranking Thread

Hello, this is our VGC metagame tiering thread. This thread is meant to help newer players get a grasp of where things stand in the metagame, and which Pokemon are the biggest threats. This'll hopefully also cut down on the incidents of people using shit like Milotic on the ladder. Anyway, brief summaries of the tiers:

S-Rank: The biggest threats in the metagame. Pokemon in the S-Rank have some combination of excellent offensive capabilities, excellent support abilities, and / or excellent durability. These Pokemon shape the metagame around themselves, and are extremely easy to fit onto a team. They generally require very little support to function by themselves, and are the best at what they do.

A-Rank: The most prevalent threats in the metagame, although they don't quite reach the level of dominance the S-Rank Pokemon achieve. They're all extremely efficient at their roles, and while they might require a bit of support, are extremely easy to build with.

B-Rank: A bit more niche than A-Rank Pokemon, B-Ranks are still quite efficient and usually have a unique niche only they can fill. Sometimes they can even perform the role of an A-Rank Pokemon better for certain teams. B-Rank Pokemon are still fairly easy to build with, but might require a bit more support, or might start to cause the team to tilt towards a certain playstyle.

C-Rank: Much more niche than B-Rank Pokemon, C-Rank Pokemon generally only do one or a couple of things well. They're still viable, but usually they must be performing a very specific role in order to not be outperformed by B-Rank+ Pokemon. C-Rank Pokemon are like puzzle pieces that must fit into specific holes. New players should probably avoid Pokemon in this rank unless they know they specifically need a Pokemon from it.

D-Rank: The bottom of the barrel. Pokemon listed here are for the most part just bad, but they generally have a niche or two that make them of some use to a very very select few teams. D-Rank Pokemon often require an inordinate amount of support to make work, especially the gimmicks, or they're outclassed so badly in other regards by other Pokemon that their niche doesn't make up for it. New players should avoid using D-Rank Pokemon at any cost until they have a much more solid understanding of the metagame. If a Pokemon is not listed here we either forgot about it because it's so inconsequential, or it sucks that bad.